That's what the National Weather Service is offering residents of the Kern County desert for the coming week. A special weather statement, informing us that temperatures will be 10-15 degrees above normal. It's supposed to be 104 Saturday, 106 Sunday, 106 Monday, 104 Tuesday. Of course it was a lot hotter than that in July, but this is mid-September.
I take comfort in knowing that in a normal year it might be 10 degrees cooler than this by now. But you always have to think: what about global warming? Maybe there will be no more normal years...
NWS offers some "Tips to help you cope with the heat":
1. Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. When possible...stay in the shade or an air conditioned room. (Translation: hide in your house, like you did all summer.)
2. Wear loose fitting...light colored clothes. (Wearing white after Labor Day is not a faux pas in Ridgecrest.)
3. Drink plenty of non alcoholic fluids. (That is, try to avoid drowning your sorrows in booze.)
4. Never leave children or pets in a vehicle...even for short periods of time. Temperatures inside vehicles can climb rapidly to life threatening levels...even with windows partially open. (Ridgecrest is a dangerous place. It isn't even safe to leave the kids in the car in the garage -- with the garage door open and all the car doors open. It really isn't.)
5. Periodically check on children and the elderly (to be sure they haven't collapsed in despair).
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